An Iranian Kiwi has told Newshub she's been discriminated against by Immigration New Zealand despite being a citizen here.
She's about to give birth to her second child, but her parents have been unable to get a visa to be with her.
She's calling on the Immigration Minister to review how officials process visas from certain countries.
Elsa is going to have a little brother really, really soon. Her mother, Farzana Masouleh, is an Iranian Kiwi. She wants and needs her parents here for her son's birth but their visitor visa was declined.
"It's not fair. It's absolutely not fair. It's a basic human right for someone to see their family."
Masouleh even works at the same ministry as Immigration NZ - MBIE.
"In the same building - same level, even."
But Iran is a non-visa waiver country so even New Zealand citizens, like Masouleh, are up against tough rules.
"I want this process to be fair for everyone. Only New Zealanders shouldn't have the right to see their families."
Immigration NZ rejected the application, saying they thought her parents wouldn't return to Iran. It would not say whether the protests and unrest were a factor.
"They are discriminating based on my background, based on my heritage which I'm proud of."
Asked how that was fair, Immigration Minister Michael Wood said: "Broadly speaking Immigration New Zealand do have the job of managing immigration risk."
Masouleh put in another application and is taking her fight to Parliament, giving a letter to the Greens to pass onto the Immigration Minister.
"We need an urgent review of how we treat family members of people from non-visa waiver countries and stop treating them automatically as a risk," said Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March.
Immigration NZ told Newshub they were prioritising Farzana's second application.
Wood has told officials to make sure they're applying the rules properly but is refusing to review the wider settings.
"We do have about 14,000 people who have overstayed and one of the functions of the immigration system is to reduce that down."
An immigration system locking out Farzana's parents - when she needs them the most.
